Two Officers Face Criminal Investigation Over Death Of Former Aston Villa Player

18 August 2016, 18:09

Two West Mercia officers are under criminal investigation following the death of former Aston Villa footballer Dalian Atkinson

The 48-year-old was tasered at his parents home in Telford in the early hours of Monday morning. He died 90 minutes later on his way to hospital.

The IPCC has this evening revealed two officers are facing a criminal investigation and gross misconduct proceedings over their actions.

A post mortem was held yesterday and IPCC say the cause of death was inconclusive and further tests will be carried out.

IPCC Commissioner Derrick Campbell said: “Having carefully considered the evidence gathered so far, we are undertaking a criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr Atkinson’s death, and the level and type of force used. Two police officers will be interviewed under criminal caution by IPCC investigators.

“As this is a criminal investigation, the IPCC is limited in the amount of information which can be released into the public domain. I would ask people to be patient during the progress of our investigation, and not to add to speculation about the circumstances of Mr Atkinson’s death. Speculation across the media as a whole can risk prejudice to the investigation process.

“We will keep Mr Atkinson’s family updated, and our thoughts remain with all of those affected by his death.”

Dalian played for Aston Villa in the 1990s and a minutes applause was held in memory of him at Tuesday night's game against Huddersfield.

The family of Dalian Atkinson shave released a statement and told Heart: “We are still in shock as to the circumstances in which Dalian died. We are determined to get justice for him which means getting to the truth. We welcome the IPCC’s decision that this is will be a criminal investigation and emphasise their request that there should be no speculation in the media as to what happened to Dalian, as this could prejudice the criminal investigation and any potential prosecution.

"We ask that anyone with information about what happened to Dalian in the early hours of Monday 15 August 2016 contacts the IPCC.

"We are looking to the IPCC to carry out a thorough and robust investigation that will ultimately provide transparency and accountability. Dalian’s memory requires nothing less."